Boxes and Shelves

The Boxes and Shelves series from 2008 are are all made from the backing card from discarded writing pads.

Boxes and Shelves extended my investigation of quotidian materials and their relationship to the origins of creative toil. Since 1996 my research has sought to identify and locate instances where the 'unmeasurable' meets the measurable. I have consistently employed a range of utilitarian materials such as bus seats, bus tickets, puddles, A4 writing paper, to present a series of 'problem objects' where the philosophical question has been 'Is the Art work a product of the object? or is the Object a product of the Art work?' My research seeks to address the archeology of invention within artistic work.

Each of the works shared two common elements. Firstly individual 'Boxes' formed around a 'found' whole punch aperture present in A4 card, and secondly 'shelves' made from the same material backing card which both frontally held and presented the 'boxes' in different configurations and relationships.

In April 2008 I had a one person exhibition at Dicksmith Gallery, London. As a classic 'White Cube' gallery space this installation at Dicksmith Gallery sought to question if 'looking' was a case of a 'from place' or a 'too place' within art work. This exhibition was reviewed in the Guardian April 2008.

The eight works which constituted this presentation were purchased for the Saatchi collection and subsequently exhibited in the 2010 exhibition 'Newspeak- British Art Now' at the Saatchi Gallery. This exhibition was a two part survey of new British Art and was articulated as presenting the work of artists who have emerged a generation after the Saatchi associated 'Young British Artists' The exhibition was accompanied by a book published by Booth Clibborn Editions (ISBN-10: 186154314X ISBN-13: 978-1861543141) which included full color documentation of the Boxes and Shelves series. The exhibition was reviewed in
London Calling, Artillery Magazine Newspeak: Part II, Evening Standard, Brian Sewell Bin liners and cardboard? It must be the new YBAs, Evening Standard
Newspeak: British Art Now Part II, Time Out, Check out the latest Sensations, Grazia, Entering a whole new head space, Waldemar Januszczak, Sunday Times
Is it me or is Newspeak good? Brian Sewell, Evening Standard, Newspeak: British Art Now, Sean O'Hagan, The Observer, Newspeak: British Art Now, Charles Darwent, The Independent on Sunday, BBC Newspeak review on Newsnight, aatchi's Next Sensations, Grazia UK, Gestern Haifish, heute Kartoffelesser, Alexander Menden, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Newspeak on The Strand, BBC World Radio, Charles Saatchi's 'Newspeak', Jackie Wullschlager, Financial Times, Newspeak:British Art Now, BBC News, Modern art speaks for itself, Ben East, The National, Newspeak: British Art Now, Front Row, BBC Radio 4, Saatchi reveals his new sensations, Louise Jury, Evening Standard, Los nuevos cachorros de Saatchi, La Razon (Spain), Newspeak: British Art Now, Vincent Dowd, BBC World Service Radio, Mighty fine red balloons, Metro, Los Sucesores De Hirst, esferapublica.org
La nouvelle génération de l'art britannique exposée a Londres, Liberation.fr (France) In the Frame: Newspeak, Francesca Gavin, Vogue UK, The Artist: Eugenie Scrase, Elle Magazine, The state of young art in Britain, The Wall Street Journal, Charles Saatchi and the new art generation, The Times, The Hot List: Newspeak, harpersbazaar.co.uk, The Saatchi Gallery Opens Largest Show Since Moving to Chelsea, Art You Know, Newspeak: British Art Now Part 1 Exhibition, Slamxhype, School's out for Eugenie, Independent, Saatchi expose à Londres la nouvelle génération de l'art britannique, Le Monde.fr (France), Saatchi picks Scots for new sensation, Tim Cornwell, Scotland on Sunday, El retorno de los 'niños terribles' de Charles Saatchi, Begona Perez, El Mundo (Spain), Saatchi vuelve a vender una nueva ola de artistas, Publico (Spain), Saatchi presenta a los jóvenes artistas que deben tomar el relevo de Hirst, La Vanguardia (Spain)
Estos son los sucesores de Damien Hirst, ABC (Spain) Saatchi presenta a los jóvenes artistas que deben tomar el revelo de Hirst, rtve.es (Spain), Saatchi presenta a los jóvenes artistas que deben tomar el revelo de Hirst, Agencia EFE (Spain) Newspeak: British Art Now, ici Londres (France), El arte como "reality-show", Fernando Castro Florez, ABC (Spain), Arts Around the World, Griselda Murray Brown, Financial Times, Saatchi presenta British Art Now. Parte I, Flash Art Online (Italy) Exhibitions Picks of the Week, Skye Sherwin, The Guardian, Neue britische Talente in der Saatchi Gallery, Ka-News (Germany), Find inspiration at the after-party, Fisun Guner, Metro, Newspeak: British Art Now, Arts & Collections International